1954 Seattle Gold Cup Final Heat

The 47th running of the Gold Cup.

[@flagselite]

I go back to the days of the Slo-mo-Shun IV & V days the Gales, Miss Bardahl, Thriftway, etc. We never got a T.V. 55' and until then we could hear the boats racing on Lake Washington 20 miles away. Us kids made little hydro's out of wood and pull them behind our bikes with cards held to our spooks that would make a noise and the noise from the race would make sound like we were really racing. You know big deal for little kids. That is what I was doing when this very race was being run. THANKS FOR SHARING!!!

[@mikedeibert5709]

medical 1 unit 12 +

[@mikedeibert5709]

medical 1 unit 12 p

[@JulieOrmbrek1]

great to see the duels in this old gold cup race.

[@curbozerboomer1773]

This was not the final heat...it was the first heat!

[@beobillrapp]

The Slo Mo's set the 1950s off, especially the IV after she set the world speed record was hauled to Detroit where the full Gold Cup race held large crowds at the river and full television coverage showed the racing community that she wasn't just a straight-away champ but a real speed lapper to win the Gold cup. For any who were disbelievers, she challenged the International Harmsworth Trophy race and won that one too!

[@mubran]

Since I can't get today's feed from The Tri-Cities, let's remember those wonderful old races, the cards in the spokes w/Miss Thriftway in tow, that wonderful Thunder!

[@garyoldroyd2239]

The Slo-mo V & Driver Lou Faegol were made for each other dominating the races that the boat competed in. In '55 Lou had the "5" out for a qualifying run on Lake Washington & going up the Back Stretch the boat suffered maybe the first blowover ever seen with Unlimiteds. Driver Lou Faegol survived that accident but never drove an Unlimited Hydro again.

[@505197]

That's probably about the time he hooked up with Bill Cantrell. I met Graham Heath up in Madison one Sunday, he had a lot of stories to tell.

[@griesTheGries]

saw it.....it went all the way over , like a loop....

[@curbozerboomer1773]

@@griesTheGries It is a very famous flip...captured well by Bill O'Mara and KING tv 40 inch lens. Faegol was seriously injured, and was wise to bail out of hydroplane racing.

[@JillBaker]

I remember the boat races on Lake Washington in Seattle. I remember when one flipped right over--got its nose up too high.

[@rcpmac]

RIP Anchor Jensen. Sadly it was recently announced that Jensen Motorboat Co. is being sold off. Seattle has become a mere ghost of its original self.

[@curbozerboomer1773]

And those Seattle people, who originally embraced hydroplane racing, are mostly ghosts by now! When you think about it....Cities are defined by the people who are thriving there. Each generation brings a different "vibe" to the city.

[@scottwins2]

Nice

[@jojocoombs]

I miss 5 announcing the races those were the days

[@curbozerboomer1773]

Bill O'Mara, for better or worse, was THE guy who described these early races...he seemed to stumble at times, but was OK...then he suddenly was not on the TV screen after a decade!...and we know the tawdry story concerning his situation. The poor guy was blacklisted for the rest of his career, but did still work in regional radio, for many years.

[@jimdunn3452]

This was heat 1 not the final heat.

[@NipkowDisk]

This course seems quite long indeed; I wonder if it was the one year they ran a five-mile course...? I remember 3-1/2 miles in the early-mid '70s.

[@jimdunn3452]

The race course was 3.3/4 miles from 1953-1956.1957 it went back to a 3 mile course.

[@jimdunn3452]

3-3/4 mile course was used from 1953-1956.